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GAO-14-610R 1 (2014-05-14)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaahxc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 May 14, 2014 The Honorable Charles E. Grassley Ranking Member Committee on the Judiciary United States Senate Law Enforcement Body Armor: Status of DOJ's Efforts to Address GAO Recommendations Dear Senator Grassley: Since 1987, body armor-in the form of ballistic-resistant and stab-resistant vests-has reportedly saved the lives of over 3,000 law enforcement officers nationwide. Recognizing body armor's value, the Department of Justice (DOJ)-through its Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and its National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-has implemented initiatives to support state and local law enforcement agencies' use of body armor. For example, two BJA grant programs provide grant funding to state and local law enforcement to assist with body armor purchases. On February 15, 2012, I testified before this committee on the key findings of a report we issued that same day, emphasizing (1) the body armor efforts DOJ had underway, (2) the extent to which DOJ had designed controls to manage and coordinate these efforts, and (3) the factors that had affected body armor's use and effectiveness and steps DOJ had taken to address them.1 Our report contained five recommendations to the Director of BJA to improve grantee accountability in the use of federal funds, reduce the risk of grantee noncompliance with program requirements, and ensure consistency in the department's efforts to promote law enforcement officer safety. You asked us to report on the actions DOJ has taken to address each of the five recommendations. To complete our February 2012 body armor report, we reviewed information on DOJ's body armor initiatives and interviewed officials from BJA, NIJ, 6 body armor manufacturers, 2 body armor-testing laboratories, 3 law enforcement associations, 10 state and local jurisdictions receiving body armor grants, and 12 stakeholders in and outside of government. We selected these organizations nonrandomly based in part on their size and location. We also examined body armor literature on key factors affecting body armor's use and effectiveness and reviewed DOJ's efforts to address these factors. Our published work provides more detail on our scope and methodology.2 To identify actions DOJ has taken in addressing the recommendations we made in that report, from April 2012 through June 2013, we requested and reviewed evidence of the department's actions and assessed the degree to which they were consistent with our 1 See GAO, Law Enforcement Body Armor. DOJ Supports Its Use and Enhancements, but Could Strengthen Management of Its Related Grant Programs, GAO-1 2-448T (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 15, 2012) and Law Enforcement Body Armor. DOJ Could Enhance Grant Management Controls and Better Ensure Consistency in Grant Program Requirements, GAO-12-353 (Washington, D.C.: Feb. 15, 2012). 2 GAO-12-353. GAO-14-61 OR Law Enforcement Body Armor Page 1

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